The odds that a woman in Sub-Saharan Africa will die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth is one in 20, compared to one in 6,250 in the developed world, resulting both from high fertility and maternal mortality rates. The majority of the countries in this region have experienced armed conflict since the end of the Cold War, and this poor health performance may in part be due to the detrimental effects of armed conflicts. The research project Armed Conflict and Maternal Health in Sub-Saharan Africa led by Gudrun Østby, is one of five Young Research Talent projects which have received funds from the Research Council of Norway under the funding scheme for Independent Basic Research Projects (FRIPRO).
The primary objective of the project is to improve our understanding of how conflict affects maternal health and how to improve maternal health in post-conflict societies, which is crucial for formulating humanitarian policies to improve women's health after conflict.
We will study how civil war affects various health indicators as well as investigate what factors impact maternal health in post conflict societies. We combine statistical analysis of secondary data, such as national surveys, with qualitative analysis through fieldwork in Burundi, the DR Congo, and Liberia. While many studies focus exclusively on the direct effects of specific interventions to improve maternal health such as e.g. family planning services and the provision of obstetrical care, we broaden the scope and also consider the more distant impact of political, socioeconomic, and cultural factors. Furthermore, this project is the first systematic attempt to study determinants of maternal health in post-conflict societies at the local (subnational) level.
In addition to Gudrun Østby, the project team includes PRIO researchers Henrik Urdal, Andreas Forø Tollefsen, Chi Primus Che and Ragnhild Belbo, as well as Theodora-Ismene Gizelis from Essex University, Philip Verwimp from the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, and Andreas Kotsadam from the Frisch Centre.
This project is placed under the umbrella of the Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies (NCHS).
PRIO Co-Hosts Maternal and Child Health Workshop with the Wilson Center, D.C.
PRIO Director Henrik Urdal and Senior Researchers Gudrun Østby and Siri Aas Rustad took part in a workshop on maternal and child health in conflict situations at the Wilson Center 28 August. The event, titled 'Where's the Link? Maternal and Child Health, Aid, and Armed Conflict', was cohosted by PRIO and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.
PRIO Gender, Peace and Security Update (Issue 3-2016)
The third 2016 issue of the PRIO Gender, Peace and Security Update is now out.
The lead story in this issue looks at approaches to integrating gender into foreign policy, with examples from Australia and Sweden. The story is based on talks by Professor Jacqui True (Monash University) and Professor Karin Aggestam (Lund University) at the recent PRIO seminar 'Gender in Foreign Policy', held on 23 September 2016.
NCHS annual report 2014
The NCHS Annual Report for 2014 is now available! You can read the report online or download it here.
The report gives an overview of the projects, events, blogs and publications of the Centre for 2014. Further information about NCHS researchers and affiliates is available here.
Armed Conflict and Maternal Health in Sub-Saharan Africa
The 'Armed Conflict and Maternal Health' project held its kick-off meeting at PRIO on November 20-21.
On Thursday 20th the project team convened together with Norway-based members of the International Advisory Board for a full-day internal project meeting.
Armed Conflict and Maternal Health in Sub-Saharan Africa
The odds that a woman in Sub-Saharan Africa will die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth is one in 20, compared to one in 6,250 in the developed world, resulting both from high fertility and maternal mortality rates. The majority of the countries in this region have experienced armed conflict since the end of the Cold War, and this poor health performance may in part be due to the detrimental effects of armed conflicts. A new project entitled Armed Conflict and Maternal Health in Sub-Saharan Africa led by Gudrun Østby, is one of five Young Research Talent projects which have received funds from the Research Council of Norway under the funding scheme for Independent Basic Research Projects (FRIPRO).
What happens to childhood vaccine rates in conflict zones? This analysis found some surprises
Popular Article in Monkey Cage at the Washington Post
Public Health and Armed Conflict: Immunization in Times of Systemic Disruptions
Journal Article in Population and Development Review
Maternal Health Care Among Refugees and Host Communities in Northern Uganda: Access, Quality, and Discrimination
Journal Article in Frontiers in Global Women's Health
Ethno-political favoritism in maternal health care service delivery: Micro-level evidence from sub-Saharan Africa, 1981–2014
Journal Article in International Area Studies Review
Forced Displacement, Migration, and Fertility in Burundi
Journal Article in Population and Development Review
Equity in aid allocation and distribution: A qualitative study of key stakeholders in Northern Uganda
Journal Article in PLoS ONE
Armed conflict and maternal mortality: A micro-level study of sub-Saharan Africa, 1989–2013
Journal Article in Social Science & Medicine
Approaches to protect and maintain health care services in armed conflict – meeting SDGs 3 and 16
Journal Article in Conflict and Health
Forced Displacement, Migration and Pregnancy Risk: Micro-level evidence from Burundi
GPS Policy Brief
How Does Organized Violence Affect the Chances of Giving Birth at a Health Facility?
Conflict Trends
New Education Policy in Burundi Could Halve Teenage Pregnancy
Popular Article in PRIO blog
Organized Violence and Institutional Child Delivery: Micro-Level Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa, 1989–2014
Journal Article in Demography
Does Aid Reduce Infant Mortality? Local-Level Evidence from Nigeria
Conflict Trends
Development aid and infant mortality. Micro-level evidence from Nigeria
Journal Article in World Development
The Evolving Role of Traditional Birth Attendants in Maternal Health in Post-Conflict Africa: A Qualitative Study of Burundi and Northern Uganda
Journal Article in SAGE Open Medicine
Maternal Health Care in the Time of Ebola: A Mixed-Method Exploration of the Impact of the Epidemic on Delivery Services in Monrovia
Journal Article in World Development
Structural change and wife abuse: A disaggregated study of mineral mining and domestic violence in sub-Saharan Africa, 1999–2013
Journal Article in Political Geography
Rural-Urban Migration, Inequality and Urban Social Disorder: Evidence from African and Asian Cities
Journal Article in Conflict Management and Peace Science
Does Artisanal Mining Increase the Risk of Sexual Violence? Micro-level evidence from Eastern Congo
Journal Article in Quality in Primary Care
Artisanal mining, conflict, and sexual violence in Eastern DRC
Journal Article in The Extractive Industries and Society
What Is Driving Gender Equality in Secondary Education? Evidence from 57 Developing Countries, 1970–2010
Journal Article in Education Research International
Barriers in the Delivery of Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care in Post-Conflict Africa: Qualitative Case Studies of Burundi and Northern Uganda
Journal Article in PLOS ONE
Government regulation of private health insurance
Journal Article in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
A qualitative study exploring the determinants of maternal health service uptake in post-conflict Burundi and Northern Uganda
Journal Article in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
Improving maternal, newborn and women's reproductive health in crisis settings
Journal Article in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Armed conflict and maternal health care Micro-level evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa.
Conference Paper
War and Gender Inequalities in Health
Book Chapter in Gender, Peace and Security: Implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1325
Perceptions of the effects of armed conflict on maternal and reproductive health services and outcomes in Burundi and Northern Uganda: a qualitative study
Journal Article in BMC International Health and Human Rights
Violence Begets Violence: Armed Conflict and Domestic Sexual Violence in Sub-Saharan Africa
Conference Paper
